Forest Spirit
by clexaislife2014
Summary: She was their legend. A legend formed around her protecting the lands of the Trikru. She didn't know that she was actually a woman. A woman who was born of the sky and not the ground. One shot. Rewrite of The Shift. Only will ever be one chapter unless adopted


This is a one shot. i tried to rewrite the shift but just couldn't get myself to write anything that continued the story in the way I wanted. If someone wants to take the mantle up of continuing either one then I wouldn't be against such a thing. Hell I'd even cheer you on.

I own nothing.

Chapter One

For the Romans, the beginning began with a wolf. It is believed that Romulus and Remus were both abandoned in the wild by the order of the King, Amulius of Alba Longa. A she-wolf found the twins in the woods and is said to have brought them to the cave known as the Lupercal. This she-wolf protected them and fed them until the shepherd later found them, Faustulus. Romulus went on the found Rome and become the first King of Rome.

The founding members of the Griffin family followed Romulus through the years. Augustus was the founding member of the family and helped the family prosper with his wife Camilla. What many of those outside the family never knew was that the Camilla had saved a mother wolf from being killed by farmers from the land next to theirs.

Camilla had heard the tales of how the King Romulus was raised for a time by the she-wolf Lupa and began to worship the wolf especially in relation to Diana (also referred to as Artemis in Greek Mythology). She believed in the glory of Rome, of what their great nation would become. Her husband, a man she met as a child before marrying at the age of 16 at the request of both of their parents, served as one of the top generals for Romulus, who believed the same as she.

Ten years later after her marriage, Camilla was praying at her shrine that she made near the edge of their land because Diana deserved to be worshipped in the woods or as close as Camilla could make the shrine without being too far away from her home. Her husband had been coming home more often and would get worried if she was too far.

The howl broke through her concentration and before she could stop herself had grabbed the sword that she always carries with her. Her husband had taught her how to defend herself because as a woman she had no place on the battlefield and her father forbade her from learning when she was a child.

The gladius was quickly placed back on her side as she sprinted through to woods toward the pain filled howl. The need to help the animal outweighed any logic, as she made her way closer to the edge of her land and deeper into the woods.

Finally, she tore through the random vines that were growing and found herself in a clearing with a large white wolf, trying to bite through the large metal jaws that were trapping her leg. Around her were four small pups, crying and kept trying to help their mother.

Camilla snarled because not only was this Her land but also because someone was going to pay. Many of those that lived near knew that to her wolves were sacred and that wolves roamed much of her land.

A different snarl drew her back to the present and away from her dark thoughts. The large white mother wolf had her hackles raised and was standing as much as she could in front of the little ones. This wolf was the largest she had ever seen in her life and never had she seen one with such coloring, as even her eyes seem to almost glow an eerie silver, like the glow of the moon.

And then she knows because this must be an animal from her goddess. She quickly unbuckles her sword and allows it to fall before also removing the knives that she keeps up her sleeves. Then slowly she made her way closer trying to make herself as small as possible and seem less threatening.

The wolf seemed to calm somewhat the closer she came. When she was finally close enough to touch the large animal, it seemed to have relaxed enough that it wouldn't tear her throat out, well it could as Camilla looked into the silver eyes of the animal, she could see that the animal was waiting for her to make a false move.

Slowly she grabbed the edge of the trap ignoring how the serrated metal dug into her hands, further staining the area crimson. Then the wolf quickly removed its large forelimb from the trap and Camilla let go. The snap was so loud and sudden she felt it slightly shake in her bones.

The wolf did not move away though and instead stared heavily into her eyes. It felt as though the wolf was weighing her soul before the eyes gained more intelligence. The wolf became more. A sinister smile seemed to cross the wolf's jaws before Camilla could even scream the teeth had torn through the muscle and bone of her shoulder.

Liquid fire poured through her body and then she was screaming. It seemed to pour through her body like poison. Then things began to change as sound became louder and clearer as well as her sight. She could see through her tears every single hair on the wolf's neck.

The fire did not end though when the wolf finally released her. A steady beat was thrumming through her body and one of the last things she heard before the black took her was a loud howl that seemed to shake the very earth and a woman's voice.

_-POV CHANGE/TIME CHANGE-_

Jake Griffin was a very serious and quiet man, but one can never say that he didn't care. He loved with a fiery passion and would go to the ends of the earth for those he cared for and when he found out that the Ark was going to run out of air within the next few years-time, he acted.

The wolf's blood would allow nothing less. His pack was in danger and what kind of alpha allows his people to die without warning. Jake knew that he couldn't fix the problem alone and would need help.

Jake told his wife, his other half, the one that Diana gifted him. Abby did not agree and told him such. She believed that if everyone knew then there would be panic and so he made a decision and that was to make a video that he could mass release to those on the Ark.

Quiet steps made their way closer to the man as he clicked the stop button on his video. A quick sniff and he knew it was his little pup.

Well, not so little as she was now almost 17 years old and getting closer to shifting as all of the family no matter man or woman shifted around or after their 18th birthday but part of him was worried because she was already showing signs of shifting, the beginning of the shift but still signs.

Already, she was showing increasing signs of aggression and complaints of the occasion rush of heat that seemed to be slowly increasing in both heat and pain. Of course, the signs begin within one year of the change but still, he never had any signs until he was 6 months away from his 18th.

"You're going to disobey the council?" her question was asked with a slight tilt of her head. She looked more like a wolf with that and Jake could feel a strong surge of pride for his cub.

"I heard you and mom. I know…" her tone is insistent.

"The people have a right to know. Your mother doesn't understand..."

Clarke quickly interjects with a look that he has seen before. She has made up her mind and it will take much to change her mind. "What's the plan?"

"You don't need to know the plan," he growled out to her. Jake knew what would happen if he continued going down this road and he didn't want it to include his daughter because he knew deep down that time was running out for him.

"It is obvious that you are going to make a video. What are you going to do? Hack into the communications mainframe and send it out Ark wide? Making you either suicidal or incredibly dumb…" this time he can hear a small rumble that makes it was past her throat. Her eyes almost glow as she stands taller, challenging him even if she is doing it unconsciously.

"You are picking a fine moment to finally act like a teenager," he tells her as he stands to his full height of 6 foot 5 inches.

She takes a step closer to him. _"Lupus roburi agmini,"_ she speaks with so much conviction that he stops.

"You do understand that that does not equate to this situation."

"The strength of the wolf is the pack. You have told me since I was a small child that we need to stand with family and I will stand with you."

Jake runs his hand through his hair before stepping forward and pulling his daughter into a hug. Clarke just like when she was a small child melts into his embrace and he pulls her in closer because he can hear many people making their way to their home.

"Oh, my little one. I love you," then Jake pushes her away just as the door opens.

"Jake Griffin you are hereby under arrest for treason," the guards rush forward grabbing hold of him and pulling him out of their small living quarters.

The man also began pulling Clarke away from him and his inner wolf surfaces when they yank her back. He has to bite his tongue to keep from snarling at the men. "Get your hands off of her!" he manages to bite out.

He can see how her eyes light up and give off a small glow, when she rips her arms out of their hold and rushes forward to him, successfully throwing the guards off of him as well with the strength of her hug.

"I'll warn them! I promise," she seems to almost yell and he can feel how hard she is shaking, how skin seems to be heating up, and the slight snarl that is evident in her voice.

"You will do no such thing!" He roars as the guards take him away. His voice seems to carry a sudden weight that forces those around him to obey. His daughter seemed to almost collapse into herself at that tone because she heard it enough to know that she should not go against what he says.

_-TIME SKIP-_

Jake pulls Abby into a tight embrace, whispering words of love and endearment. Abby is shuddering, and he knows that she is extremely close to losing it and crying. "It'll be ok. Keep her safe, she is getting close," then backs away and pulls his daughter into their hug.

Clarke is now openly crying and is close to sobbing. His inner wolf is howling in his mind and a soft whimper comes out.

"I love you my little cub," and Jake is pulled from their arms by the guards.

"It's time Griffin," Jaha tells him.

He walks into the airlock and the last thing he sees is his daughter as her eyes glow an eerie blue and as she punches a guard in the face.

_-POV CHANGE/TIME CHANGE-_

I could not sleep. It felt as though I had been lit on fire with how high my temperature seemed. This was not the time nor was it the place to be getting sick. The worst part was that I had no idea as to how I had even gotten sick to begin with but a small part of me knew this wasn't related to the cut as the weird pain started over a year ago but this wasn't like before as it wasn't quick to disappear.

The only thing I can even think that could have made me sick was maybe a large cut I had gotten on my arm when I had almost fallen into the panther trap trying to get Jasper down from the tree but that was quickly healing.

Thankfully I had been strong enough to pull myself up and out of the pit. What concerned me about this though was the look of heavy disappointment in Bellamy's eyes. The past two days he had been almost hovering near me and trying to assert his authority of the rest of the 100. Pushing with the fact that I was part of the rich and privileged.

Using his age and also the gun to push things in his favor. Already most of the camp had removed the bracelets and now only about 20 were still left on. Those that agreed with me and did not want any of their parents to be concerned about them dying here on the ground.

Liquid fire continued to pour through my insides. Like my organs were melting and all I could do was wait for it to pass.

Rolling over onto my side, I curled further into a ball, releasing a small moan of pain. My skin was beginning to feel too tight. Nails dug into my palm as the fire continued to rage. Everything felt too tight, too constricting. Damp clothing not bringing any relief to my pale skin.

Moving and forcing myself into a seated position I pulled my boots off. Vision blurring slightly as I clumsily untied the laces.

Teeth ground against themselves as I flung the boot off my left foot, quickly followed by the sock. Relief was instant for the cramped foot. Eyes narrowed on the remaining boot that was still tied. A low whine slipping past my lips.

Aching fingers worked once more to untie the laces keeping the remaining boot on. Another burst of fire flushed through my system. Fingers clenching as I rode through the increased pain waiting as it slowly fell back to a dull ache once more. The boot soon joined the other in thumping against the metal wall of the dropship.

It was still too hot. Still too tight with no relief. Fingers dug into the cloth of the worn damp shirt and just pulled not caring as the material ripped leaving me in nothing but a bra.

I fell back and allowed to cold metal to cool down my overheated skin. It didn't do much but for the moment it was enough. Rolling onto my stomach and cheek pressed flush to the floor as I felt and enjoyed the cold.

Voices whispered around me but I was doing my best to ignore them. Few were worried about my state as most felt I might be contagious with many wanting to place me somewhere else and some were even discussing forcing me from camp altogether. Thoughts are beginning to hurt as they seemed to add to the already loud noises happening around the dropship.

I could hear as many were prying off pieces of the dropship and dug into the soft earth. The sound of repeated thumping and then the split of wood that was being used to start fires and build a large fence around our clearing, in case of the grounders attacking but a part of me thinks that they won't. A large side of me believes that they didn't want us to cross the river. They had to have been following us or were waiting at their borders but Bellamy didn't listen and instead wanted to find more weapons and to defend the camp.

Moans of pain that weren't mine cut through the pounding of my brain. Moans that weren't from me and I realized that it was Jasper who was slowly wasting away in the upper level of the ship.

A pitiful whimper slipped past my lips as I slowly pushed myself up. Using the wall as almost a crutch pulled myself to my feet. The cold feeling good on the soles of my feet. Sweat slid down my face as I took deep breaths in.

Almost slipping more than once I pulled myself up the ladder. The metal door clanging as I flung it open. Not noticing that it took barely any strength to push the heavy metal door open.

Candles lit the room up in a soft glow. The slight darkness allowing my eyes to relax instead of feeling strained.

"Damn Clarke. You look like shit…" Octavia basically screamed or at least sounding like it due to a massive headache that was still thumping in time with my heart.

"…also where is your shirt? And your shoes for that matter?" she also asked once she looked away from my face, taking in the fact that she could clearly see large drops of sweat as they slid down my body, that my hair was almost dripping from the amount of sweat, and how I was flushed with what looked like a fever.

My wince caused her to frown and it was easy to see the concern. Her face looked almost pinched as she looked at me. She looked away and down to the teenager whose hair she was running her hands through.

In her lap rested Jaspers head, whose face was scrunched in pain. Another pitiful moan easing past his lips. Lumbering over and almost throwing myself to the floor I removed the damp cloth from his wound and had to bite back the need to vomit. It was bad. Really bad.

The wound was leaking puss and seemed to almost look green around the edges. To make matters even worse dark-colored veins were popping out further around the wound as though they were fanning out.

"Shit," I growled out. The smell of sickness was almost overpowering. My chest hurt from the sight alone but added with the smell brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't fix this. None of us here on the ground could. Maybe my mother could but she wasn't here. We were left here to die. Thrown out as if we nothing but trash. Expendable because we stole to get the food or medicine we needed for family. Or someone like Octavia whose only sole crime was being born.

Or because someone found out that the Ark was running out of air and instead of letting the people know they murdered the only man that could have even attempted to fix the problem. Then had locked up the other one like if they hid the problem it would go away. The only thing that went away was the ability to stand to be in enclosed spaces.

I noticed that small and enclosed spaces such as when the door is closed on the dropship I have panic attacks. The walls seem to close in and the air becomes thin and no matter how oxygen I breathe in, it isn't enough.

I hadn't known that this would happen as I thought I had done decently well in solitary. That being by myself for more than 365 days with no one to talk to wasn't that big of a deal. It would seem I was wrong.

A deep rumbling sound seemed to build up in my throat as red started to overtake my sight. My limbs began to tremble, my skin seemed to feel even tighter but all of this stopped when a strong hand gripped my shoulder.

"Its alright Clarke," Octavia whispered to me.

Reaching up I grabbed her hand. Enjoying the small physical contact this allowed me. "It's not alright. I can't fix this. He has a blood infection. We have no antibiotics! WE HAVE NOTHING!"

Octavia jumped back in slight fear, pulling her hand away from mine quickly. A tart smell filled my nose and part of me relished in this smell. This pleasure gave way to another flash of pain. Anger giving way once more to gut twisting pain. Feeling as though something is digging itself out of my skin. A howl reverberated through my head.

The metal walls seemed to be pressing in on me. All I could smell was blood and sickness. My stomach churned as bile started to build in my mouth. I couldn't get enough air.

A small ringing sound began to sound in my head. Drowning out the howls and growling that were flowing through my mind. Nails dug further into my palms and I could feel as my blood slowly dripped down my palms. Each drop reverberating through my ears and mind as they landed on the cold metal flooring of the ship.

"Clarke?" a small voice finally breaches the pounding of my heart and the drops of my blood.

Octavia is looking almost fearful at me and seemed to be almost hunched over Jasper as though she was trying to protect him.

"Fuck…" I push myself up and away from her and Jasper.

"I need to go…I'll try and think of something to help Jasper, but I don't know," and with those final words, I was scrambling away.

"Try to sleep!" were Octavia's last words as I slammed the metal of the door closed on the way down.

I was halfway down the ladder when the heat and flash of pain almost doubled and with a shocked cry I lost my hold and fell.

Landing with a hard thump that silenced the entire dropship. All of the ones inside turned to look at the cause of the sudden noise.

Some from even out the main door had turned to look at the sudden noise. No one moved. Then slowly one by one they started to look away and talk in quiet whispers.

Fury burned through taking away the pain but the heat intensified. A deep animalistic growl sounded through my skull. Seeming to grow with each pound of my heart.

Large hands suddenly pulled me up and began to wave in front of my eyes. My brain not fully understanding what was happening to me.

"Are you ok princess? I heard you fall off the ladder from outside!" the worried voice finally penetrated the pounding of my skull.

Dark chocolate eyes looked deeply concerned as they tried to take in everything that seemed wrong with me. Though also making a small note when his eyes continued to switch back and forth between my breasts and my eyes.

Something akin to a snarl sprung past my lips as pure hot rage fills my body once more.

**_Spill the insolent pups blood!_**

Everything seems to still at those words. Words that I did not think or say. The voice was deep and carried a weight of authority.

A hand gripping my shoulder in a tight hold brought me back to reality and with it my anger.

My hand snapped out and pushed away whoever was touching me.

My mind seemed to clear slightly from the anger and pain at the sudden noise of something heavy hitting metal.

Eyes widen to see Finn is now leaning heavily against the wall of the dropship. Face scrunched in pain and confusion which slowly transformed to anger.

"What the hell Clarke?" his voice slightly raised in pitch in his obvious embarrassment from being pushed so far by a girl.

"Don't touch me," I hiss at him, as my hands push from under me into more of a sitting position before reaching in front and using the rungs of the ladder to pull myself up.

"I was trying to help. I don't see why you had to act like such a bitch," his words carry across the entire dropship as more people stop their own conversations to hear out slight fight.

Another deep growl built in my throat, but I quickly swallowed it when the heat started to rise.

Pushing off the ladder I made my way out and off the ship.

Once my feet touched the earth, my head finally cleared. The howling, growls, and snarls that seemed to overpower everything around me, faded away. My feet kept moving though as I pushed myself away from the dropship. From the smell of death and decay and towards the trees that seemed to be calling her.

My steps were unsteady but finally, I steadily made it towards the edge of the large clearing.

Another hand forcefully stops my movement as fingers dug into my arm, most likely bruising with the amount of force he was applying to my arm. This time not even thinking and once more jerked my hand free from the grip, turning and then punching him in the face with enough force that he fell. He fell into the dirt and then her line of sight was filled with makeshift spears and one gun that the man on the ground points at her.

Slowly taking a step back, as I bare my teeth at Bellamy. His eyes are narrowed on me and they have a certain gleam in them like he won. Slowly he stands back to his full height and seems to almost tower over me.

"You just not only attacked me but also Finn. We can't have that. I mean we can't make a new life for ourselves if we aren't all working together towards a common goal," He keeps the gun steady as he continues to point it right where my heart is.

"What are you going to do? Shoot me?" I snarl back at him. My body moving once more on its own and lowering closer to the ground, decreasing the amount of visible area in front of my vital organs.

"Do you know what happens to those who hit a guard?"

And then I know what he wants. What he has been trying to do since we landed, and I told them we needed to get to Mount Whether. What he didn't have the opportunity to do when I had fallen into the panther pit.

"I mean we know," he gestures to those around him, some laughing while others just seem to smirk in sick satisfaction.

"And now…you will know. I guess it's time for us to finally get our own little type of revenge and float you ourselves," the gun know pointed firmly towards my heart.

"Someone grab a rope!" Bellamy shots with glee.

I don't even think and take off running. The gun barks as it is fired and something slams into the tree next to my head. An almost bark-like laughter leaves my lips as I continue to rush through the trees, my toes digging into the earth with every step away from the camp.

Even though I am technically running for my life I can't help but enjoy how the trees close in on me and with each step it feels like something is being slowly lifted from my shoulders. I keep going and don't stop (a/n: won't lie totally snorted…no regrets).

When I finally stop, somewhere a wolf howls. It is powerful and seems to be coming from every single direction and I fall to the ground my hands clamping over my ears. For some reason, all I can picture in my mind is all the faces on my father's side of the family. They seem to flash past my mind's eye.

Faces of men and women that I have never seen in my entire life continue to speed by and then finally it stops on a woman who seems to almost be an older version of me. She has blonde hair that seems to look like gold with eyes that glow a sky-blue color. She smirks, her canines are sharper than most and then something seems to explode from inside me.

It feels like everything is being stretched and shrunk at the same time and when I cry out in pain it resembles a whine of an animal. My pants are loud and almost echo in the small clearing I stopped in.

The fuzzy and strange feeling slowly fades away until everything seems to be in greater clarity, my ears picking up everything from what seems like from miles around me and for some strange reason the surrounding areas around me were larger than normal.

Slowly, I pushed myself up only to realize that I seemed to be not only farther from the ground but also close at the same time. Something golden was peaking out of the corner of my eye and I couldn't help but turn in the direction, but the strange thing also turned with me. This went for maybe one full circle before stopping.

I almost fell down when I realized what I was doing. I had been chasing my tail because I had a tail.

I have a fucking tail! How the fuck do I have a tail?!

A high-pitched sound of distress to echoed through the clearing as I try to process the fact that I have a tail and seemed to now be a wolf. A fricking wolf!

My chest meets the ground as I collapse, trying to make sense of everything that seems to be going on. Too many things have happened in such a short amount of time and it seemed to be almost over-whelming. Though everything has seemed to be overwhelming since the day I had walked into the main room to hear both my mom and dad talking about the air supply on the ark. Then I was locked in that god forsaken room in the skybox, then shot down to earth with the rest of the 100 who for some reason despised her just because she was part of the 'elite'. If she was part of it because of her family, then why was my father floated?!

No one seemed to think of that! They only thought about their own lives and how people who weren't part of her family helped make their lives worse for them. Like somehow I was the reason that children lost their parents, or that they had to steal food. It wasn't like they were the only ones who suffered. My father worked from 7 in the morning until 5 at night every day except for Sunday. My mother was the same way except even when she was home she was on call. These hours made Sure that they were never low on points for food. Of course, I can still remember when I was barely a toddler how sometimes we only were able to afford enough for food for me to eat sometimes three times a day with my parents usually eating maybe once or twice.

I didn't mean to hit Bellamy, but he touched me when every touch felt only seemed to increase the fire that was rushing through my veins.

This though?

This feels right though.

While it is strange and I can't help but think that this has to deal with my father and his side of his family only because I can remember the day he died. How he seemed to growl and almost snarl a few times at the guards around him.

The real question now though, is how do I shift back? Hell, I don't even know how this happened in the first place. A small whine slipped past my lips…well more like muzzle I guess.

Slowly, I stood once more, my legs felt powerful under me. Almost like I could run for days without tiring. My energy circulated through my body and I had to release it. My muzzle raised to the sky and I released my first howl.

It seemed to spread across the land, birds took flight, and the squirrels, as well as small animals, took refuge in their homes. Then it was quiet until something roared back.

Something large was moving through the woods though and it wasn't those who were part of the 100. The sound of branches and small trees falling seemed to echo through the now quiet forest.

My hackles raised as the sound made its way closer but instead of standing and fighting whatever the hell seemed to be making its way closer, I turned tail and ran for it, not wanting to challenge the mystery beast.

I flew through the woods. My paws made little to no sound as I ran but the creature continued its chase.

'This is what you get for the howl!'

Then I realized why the thing was chasing me because when I finally took a deep breath through my nose, I could smell something that didn't seem to be part of the natural scent of the forest. It smelled like blood and something distinct. It smelled close what humans seemed to smell like but different at the same time.

Quickening my pace, I continued to run further from the animal and away from Mount Whether as well. Not even taking notice that I had passed the heavy scent line and that the animal was no longer crashing through the forest towards me.

I needed to get further away was the only thing that made its way through my head, barely taking notice of how I was getting higher as I crested a small hill. Not taking note of the large log that I tripped on because I was too interested in the large tower a couple miles away that seemed to have a fire burning at the top because I was falling.

My head smashing into a large tree as I continued to fall down the steep cliff, enough that everything became fuzzy. My middle made contact with a smaller tree with enough force to not only snap my ribs but also the tree. This caused my body to gain some altitude only to come crashing back down on top of some rocks with enough blunt force that everything went black.

_-TIME SKIP-_

Everything hurt and while the large wolf could move it didn't mean the wolf wanted too. Every single shift or twitch of a muscle seemed to cause liquid fire to course through her veins.

When she opened her eyes, it was dark. The stars shined brightly in the sky and for some reason, the earth from far away flashed through the mind of the animal. A voice whispering words of how they would one-day step foot on the ground once more, but no face attached itself to the voice. So once more the wolf closed its eyes and slept ignoring the party that was camped half a mile away that had spent much of the day hunting for their commander.

_-TIME SKIP-_

When the wolf came too once more, the pounding of her mind was gone, and thoughts were able to flow once more. Slowly she tested each of her legs to make sure she could still move them and thankfully the pain left over only seemed to ache.

Turning over to where her paws met the ground, she pushed up.

A stick snapped close by and finally, the wolf realized what woke her. Something was closing in and though she couldn't see through the thick foliage that surrounded the bottom of the cliff, she could hear the soft footsteps steadily making their way closer.

Finally, a large man pushed his way past a group of trees to her left. He was covered in dark clothing, from his boots, all the way up to his face which was covered in what looked to be paint.

The wolf took notice that she towered over the large man. The top of his head barely reached to the top of her back and shoulders. The fur along the ridge of her back stood on end and the growl she released caused not only him to step back but the other two hunters in his party as well.

"_Trikeryon,"_ one of the men whispered. (Tree spirit).

The men looked upon like she was a gift, as though they had never seen something like this before. She was a wolf, not whatever they called her.

Her growl increased in its intensity. The woman or who she assumed was a woman because she seemed to be smaller than the two other men with her, slowly took a step forward with her bow lowered.

The wolf's leg muscles tightened and then she leaped over the man. Ignoring how her ribs felt too tight and didn't seem to enjoy her stretching them like this. She landed softly on the ground and ran away from the hunting party.

"_Mebi oso na hit choda op nodotaim,"_ was the last thing the wolf heard from the hunting party as she ran further away from the hunting party. (May we meet again)

The wolf didn't know what the hunter spoke but she it wasn't English. It should be English though but as she continued to try and focus on the thoughts and memories her head began to pound once more and was forced to stop.

The wolf was not sure where she was but the sound of a brook caught her attention. Quickly she used her nose and hearing to the small river. The water was crystal clear and without thought put her paw in the water.

The wolf didn't know why she did this as her paw did nothing but stir up the silt and mud at the bottom. A quick flash of a memory entered her mind of tan slightly pale hands cupping water in her hands before it vanished.

'She was a wolf. Wasn't she?'

These thoughts slipped away as the wolf thought fuck it and stuck her muzzle in the cold water. When she opened her muzzle and tried to guzzle the water, the only thing that happened was she managed to not only swallow water down the wrong pipe but also snort water up her nose.

No part of her found this amusing and actually felt almost ashamed of herself. After many minutes of hacking up water, her nose felt incredibly runny still and her throat hurt.

This time instead of throwing her muzzle in the water, she instead tried lapping with her tongue, which much to her happiness seemed to work perfectly. For the next couple of minutes, she allowed the cool water to make herself feel better.

When she finished drinking, the next thing she knew that needed to be done was to hunt for food. The wolf could not remember the last time she ate but by the way her stomach seemed to be trying to claw itself out of her, it had been awhile.

The wolf closed its eyes and took a deep breath in. Thankfully her nose had finally cleared, and she could smell once more.

At first, the wolf could only smell the rich earth and the trees. The second-deep inhale she ignored those and tried to find something different. The first scent that she picked up smelled of nuts, the image of a small squirrel came to mind and so the wolf took off.

Keeping her nose close to the ground she followed the scent and was able to pick up a fresher one before finally finding a squirrel that was burying some nuts in the earth.

The wolf crouched down before tensing its muscles and jumping. The large wolf landed heavily on the squirrel, causing the smaller animal to die almost instantly from the weight. The snapping of bones caused the wolf to wince before ripping into the small animal.

The squirrel while not offering much meat tasted delicious. Of course, the wolf made sure not the eat any of the entrails but did enjoy the liver. The bones also added a nice crunch that the wolf greatly enjoyed especially because she could taste some a small amount of the bone marrow.

Once finished, the wolf began to hunt once more.

She ended up killing and eating almost ten squirrels. She won't lie part of herself was incredibly annoyed over the fact that it took so many. Also, it seemed that word got around and the further into her hunt the harder it became to find them.

A small snarl slipped past her lips. Stupid fucking little bitches.

The wolf continued to walk through the forest, enjoying the different smells until she comes across something that smelled like heaven. It was like she was coming home and seemed to wrap her in a warm blanket. She couldn't remember the last time she felt like this.

She wanted to find the source.

No, the wolf Needed to find it.

The wolf took off at a run towards where the smell seemed to be coming from.

The smell seemed to originate from a large clearing. The ground sunk lower and had stones that seemed to almost made deep steps. There were other smells that had almost the same undertone but didn't resonate as much as the main source.

The wolf was tired and with the way the sun was setting. All she wanted to do was sleep, she was still tired from whatever happened the day before. She was concerned about why she woke up the way she did.

The wolf instead just growled at herself before closing its eyes once more and allowing the world to fade to black.

_-TIME SKIP AND POV CHANGE-_

A deep voice seemed to be lecturing someone, but the wolf didn't understand the words. They seemed to flow harshly from word to the next but still carried a steady rhythm.

Instantly jumping up, the wolf only seemed to finally be visible to a small group of children that were located at the bottom of the clearing, they weren't looking in her direction but toward the opening of area where you can clearly see a large tower through the trees that burned brightly in the early morning sky. It seemed that they were waiting for whoever was coming closer. Two sets of steps were making there way here. One was lighter and made almost no noise, while the other was the heavier steps of a man.

The wolf looked on as a slim man with a woman who was following close behind walked into the semi-large clearing. The first one to notice the wolf was the man whose hand reached out and stopped the woman from walking any further. His eyes seemed to be taking her in but also seemed to radiate fear and slight hope for some strange reason.

"_Titus…"_ she hisses at the man before stopping herself. The sun finally crested over the trees hitting the wolf's coat in such a way that it looked to almost glow. This caught her attention and her eyes instantly locked with the large animal that was standing at the top of the clearing.

The wolf seemed to stand taller than most of her warhorses and equally as massive. The woman was concerned though because of even though the fur seemed to glow, its sight was ruined by the large amounts of blood that were dried and hardened on one side of the large animals head.

Green met blue finally and then both were gone. Everything that seemed to hold the wolf to earth was gone and replaced with her. A sense of duty, love, and possession coursed through the wolf. Instincts she was not aware of screaming at her to claim but she didn't know how. She couldn't bite the woman because even the simple thought of hurting her brought about pain.

The wolf took a deep breath in and the scent that had carried through the wind and brought her here seemed to originate from this woman. The wolf couldn't help but take another breath in to have her scent once more.

The wolf needed to be closer to the clearly unsettled woman below her who had now taken a position in front of the children with a sword out as though she would harm the pups behind her. The man also had a knife out but had been pushed behind the woman as well.

The wolf snorted at the absurb idea that she would hurt the little pups because **_'Lupus roburi agmini'_**. Though the wolf wasn't sure of where those words came from or what they mean but she did know that they were important.

The wolf made up its mind and leaped down to the soft earth below, bending her legs slightly to absorb the slight impact before standing to her full height once more. Finally, she realized how much larger she was to others. Someone seemed to whisper that she wasn't the same size as other wolves, that she was better.

The woman came up to a almost her shoulder though it wasn't enough to where she could stare straight ahead and instead had to look down slightly at the woman looked ready to attack her any hint of aggression.

The wolf took two more steps forward before sitting down.

The children behind the woman whispered once more, some reverently to the wolf calling her _"Trikeryon,"_ the same words that the hunter the day before called her.

The wolf then released a small whine before laying down completely. This seemed to calm the woman as well as the man who was now standing next to her.

When the man and woman didn't lower their swords, the wolf once more released a small whine, trying to convey that she wouldn't hurt them. That she couldn't hurt them.

Lexa was mystified but also deeply concerned about her little natblidas because in front of her was the Tree spirit. Wolves were revered in the Trikru culture and to hunt or even kill a wolf was punishable by death.

This wolf was different though because a normal wolf did not reach to be almost 15 hands tall, most being around two feet tall at most but this animal was different. Her shoulders were broad and packed with muscles that rippled when she jumped and seemed to almost stretch tightly against her fur when she landed.

The other thing that she did not understand was the feeling of safety that seemed to emanate from the animal. Her soul and those of the previous Commanders were reaching out to this animal whose fur shone like gold and eyes that glowed with power the same way hers did when she tapped into the strength of the Commander.

Then the animal laid down before her and seemed to almost plead that she would cause no harm and Lexa lowered her sword because even the Commanders were sending her feeling of peace and slight whispers of protector ran through her mind.

When she finally put away her sword the animals eyes shinned with a hidden glee.

"Heda?" Titus asked from beside her. Lexa didn't even turn to look at her mentor but continued to look deep into the wolves eyes and felt some hidden weight leave from both her body and her soul.

"It's a blessing, Flamekeeper," this causes the man to look closer at her and ever so slowly put his dagger back into the folds of his robe.

The wolf when she sees this slowly crawls forward before stopping in front of her feet. Lexa's head cocked to side at the strange behavior from the wolf.

Then the wolf was standing with her almost pressed Lexa's face. Their eyes met hers and that strange spark she felt before seemed to intensify.

The animal decided that she was done being serious and licked her across the face. Lexa couldn't move and even her mind seemed to almost stop working, only coming back to herself when heard to soft giggles of the small children behind her.

Then the wolf leaned around Lexa and finally got a good look at the small children. The one who giggled seemed to be the youngest nightblood. Nylo was related to a local healer from her old village of Ton D.C. and was currently only four years. She was finally old enough to train with a staff as it was no longer to heavy for her to lift for long periods of time.

Little Nyla had black hair and hazel eyes that reminded Lexa of Costia. For some reason, that thought alone didn't cause her chest to tighten in pain but instead only caused a mild discomfort.

Her thoughts quickly changed though to worry when the large wolf took steps toward the smallest child before stopping in front of Nyla. The wolf then lowered herself to look the small child in the eye.

Nyla seemed terrified before taking a deep breath and sticking her chest out and then ever to slowly reached with her hand and it through the large wolf's fur. The little girl let out a small cry of delight before dropping her staff and running both hands through the animal's fur.

The wolf let out a slight groan of pleasure when she rubbed her ears. Of course, once the children realized that the wolf wasn't dangerous and was the forest spirit they believed it to be, all leaped forward and started to pet the large animal.

Titus's face slowly turned a dark shade of red and when he opened his mouth to yell at the children for their reckless behavior, grabbed a hold of his arm. Lexa's grip was strong and only stopped the increasing pressure when he closed his mouth.

"The wolf is a gift from the spirits and was brought to us nightbloods. Let them meet the Commanders protector."


End file.
